The Leftovers: confusion and doubt mirrors my religious journey
I grew up fundamentalist in the Appalachians. Watching The Leftovers' depiction of the Rapture has made for compelling viewing
Sarah Jones
theguardian.com, Monday 14 July 2014 15.09 EDT
From A Thief In The Night to Tim LaHayes’s Left Behind series, representations of the Rapture in America have traditionally been promoted by Christians who read the Book of Revelation literally. It’s an interpretation I know well: I grew up fundamentalist in the Appalachians. The Rapture – and the fear and anticipation I felt for it – seeped into the bones of my faith.
My parents are followers of John Nelson Darby, the 19th century British theologian responsible for popularizing the idea of the Rapture. His doctrine is now a mainstay in many Protestant denominations: Halloween at my youth group meant showings of apocalyptic films. Later, as a student at a conservative Baptist college, I had to complete a chronological chart of the end times in order pass a mandatory Bible class.
Since I passed the test, I’ll give you the gist: when Christ returns, true believers are caught up to meet him in the air. They go to heaven, while everyone else is left behind to endure what comes next. The discarded sinners look forward to seven years of bloodshed until everything ends in a final conflagration. It’s a tale meant to terrify, but in my case, it didn’t succeed. Eventually I left the church, and the threat of Rapture, behind.
Or so I thought. It hasn’t been easy to forget as its mythology is embedded deep in American culture. The Leftovers is well into its first season on HBO and a Left Behind reboot is on the horizon. Once again, Armageddon is on my mind. But although The Leftovers owes a debt to the films I watched at youth group, it deviates significantly from them with plots that treat spirituality and skepticism as related instincts, not opposing forces.
http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2014/jul/14/the-leftovers-hbo-depiction-religion
http://www.hbo.com/the-leftovers#/
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